John Avalos: the Peoples’ Mayor

It has been a great experience volunteering for the John Avalos for Mayor campaign with everyone from Filipinos for Avalos. It only reconfirmed my support for John and what he’s trying to do.

I’ve always been one to be pessimistic about politicians and the whole political system in general. You can’t study history and not be somewhat apathetic. We’ve seen many candidates speak of very populist ideas, but eventually be eaten up by their own ego and individual aspirations.

What I’ve seen in this campaign is exactly what we should see everywhere if we’re truly trying to be a democracy. A campaign not run by huge amounts of corporate money. A campaign supported by an army of community volunteers who really believe in the candidate, not people looking to build a resume or climb up the political ladder. A campaign that emphasizes building a movement of people, not placing all our bets on one person.

Dear Kuya E.

Dear Kuya E.,

It really sucks having to write this to you right now. Everything feels really heavy right now. There’s a part of me that wants to believe that I’m still sleeping and this is just some horrible nightmare. I’ll wake up and I’ll see you tweet about today being the last Giants game.

I found out this morning when my sister woke me up with a phone call. I thought it was going to be about me flying to San Diego this weekend. She sounded distressed, asking if what people were saying about you was true. Trying to gather my thoughts, I went to the only place that would confirm everything: facebook.

There I had my worst fears confirmed. As I scanned my newsfeed (which, by the way, as much as we’ve complained about it, worked out for a day like this), I saw post after post express sadness/ confusion/ disbelief/ appreciation for who you are. As each post passed by, any hope that this was just some kind of cruel joke crumbled away

But as the darkness of accepting your departure from this world entered, the light of your memory shined through each heartfelt sharing from your friends. In the end, that will overtake whatever sadness we feel. Because we know you gave everyone so much joy and happiness.

Constant Rotation

It’s my second full day in the Philippines. Last time I was here, it took me a good couple weeks to get used to everything. That seems to be the same case this time around. But I’ve had to go out of my comfort zone and try to get used to things quicker. I’ve been able to navigate my surroundings and my decent sense of direction comes in handy, especially at night.

On the way here, I got to check off one thing from my bucket list: fly into a Tokyo airport. I’ll say this about Japan: outside of the city, it’s hella green. I don’t think they waste one acre of land. But that’s just based off what I saw on the descent.

When I finally got into Manila (after about 15 hours of flight), past memories started to come back. That’s the funny thing about airports, its always your last memory and the thing that greets you when you return. It helps with the adjustment process.

When you walk off that plane, the humidity smacks you in the face like a good wake up call: you’re not in Kansas anymore.

After you grab your boxes and head out of the airport, you’re faced with the reminder why you’re here: the people. Many of whom are waiting for their loved ones to arrive, some looking to snatch something from an unsuspecting newcomer. And when you walk out, you’re surrounded by your fellow travelers, some very well off (yeah, I see your very expensive luggage), others who were just barely able to afford the airfare. By the way, there were some creepsters on my flight. Like “To Catch A Predator”-kind-of creepsters. Simply, it was uncomfortable.

Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long for my greeters, Carlo and Brutus to find me (sorry for sending you my itinerary late). We loaded up a taxi and then I was met with the number sign that I just arrived from America: I tried to put on a seat belt. Silly me.

So my internet cafe time is ending and the last thing I’ll say is that it’s fraking raining like a mother here. I got caught without a jacket or an umbrella the other day. It felt like I got caught in an outdoor hot shower. Thank you rainy season.

Till the next time.

I Watched: Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch – 2011 – Dir. Zack Snyder – 120 min. – U.S.

In today’s movie landscape, there are three (general) types of movies. One that relies on a compelling story and excellent acting (i.e.  The King’s Speech). Another that relies on stunning graphic effects and the more-often-than-not gimmicky element of 3-D (it’s like adding stickers to a car…neither really make it that much better). The third is a rare one that is able to blend the visual effects with solid story (i.e. The Dark Knight). Sucker Punch tries to be that third type and might be a bit more successful at it…if movies like Inception and Shutter Island didn’t come out the previous year.

Zack Snyder has established a unique visual style as seen in 300 and Watchmen, with a lot of slow motion and blood spattered all over the place. But while he’s able to make your eyes feel like they’re having sex with the movie screen, none of his movies have been incredibly strong in the story/ character development department. That leads me to Sucker Punch (which has been, so far, his worst reviewed movie on Rotten Tomatoes).

The film starts out with a visually and musically beautiful sequence to explain the back story. This was my favorite part of the whole movie:

My Top Movies of 2010

There are few things in life that give me greater joy than taking a time out from life and watching a movie. I watched a lot this past year, a few horrible ones, a few good ones, and a bunch that make me feel indifferent.

I watched a handful early in the year, then stopped when I had to move. Started to pick up a little more towards the end of the year. Oh, and as you can tell, I was only able to watch more mainstream stuff. So no international and super-indie films. But I always welcome recommendations.

(in no particular order)

1) Inception

Director: Christopher Nolan

-So lets start out with the most popular one out of my list. Yes, this got hyped beyond belief. It seemed like a lot of people who saw it turned into film experts overnight. And these same people, when upon learning you hadn’t seen it yet, would treat the spoilers like government secrets. I waited until I went to San Diego for Comic-Con to watch it. Normally with hype, I turn into a cynic and anticipate the giant expectations not to be matched. But after watching this, I had to admit defeat and say it was actually really good. Did it deserve all the hype? I don’t think so. Was it the best movie I had ever seen? Nope. But you had to admit it was well made and the thing that always separates the good films from the bad ones: the details. You could tell Nolan took his time and made sure he thought about everything. And to this day (despite article after article discussing it), debates arise over what the meaning of the ending is. This was the default movie-to-watch for 2010.

5 Best Moments of 2010

1) SFSU Filipino Graduation 2010

-Overall, the event itself was great. Met a lot of dope folks who I hope to see do some big things in the near future. Had the chance to get to know some fellow grads a little better (graphics committee!) while getting a lot of work done. And of course, seeing my family the day of. They were the main reason why I did it and it meant to world to see most of them there. Also, figuring out what “graduation” means to me and how that differs from how others may see it. This was a journey that didn’t end on the actual day.

5 Reasons Why It’s Good the Chargers Didn’t Make the Playoffs

Let me be clear: I really wish the Chargers made the playoffs this year. I was pretty depressed after that loss to the Bengals and after seeing the Raiders give the Chiefs a good ol’ beat down, I felt even worse.

But as a way to cope, I figured making a list of reasons why not making the playoffs is actually great, then that will help me get through until the beginning of next season. Or at least distract me from the heartache for a couple hours. Either way.

A Christmas Gift from Where The Sideblog Ends

 

PRESENT?!?! WHAT COULD IT BE?!?! Photo: Faye Lacanilao

Since I probably won’t have internet access on Christmas Day, I wanted to make sure I got this through. Thank you for dealing with my randomness, long-winded entries, and weeks/ months of inactivity. I truly believe in gifts that keep on giving. So my present to you are two videos that really define the holiday season…and make me laugh no matter how many times I watch them (courtesy of Saturday Night Live). Enjoy and have a good and safe holiday weekend (go Chargers)!

UC San Diego grad student scrambling to avoid deportation

Anyone who thinks Mark and his family came here to “take advantage of this country’s welfare system” really need to find that thing in their heart called “compassion” and hold onto it. You really have to put yourself in his family’s position and ask “would I do the same to save my family?” And if Mark doesn’t deserve to be here, what makes any of us think we deserve it more? Do people like Sarah Palin really deserve to be here more than Mark? We definitely need to rethink our immigration policies if folks like Mark are deemed threats to this country.

Please sign the petition!: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/markfarrales/

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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-deport-20101219,0,3308780.story?page=1
Mark Farrales, whose family sought political asylum when he was 10, is to be sent back to the Philippines. The Harvard alumnus hopes Congress will consider a private immigration bill.

Mark Farrales figured his time in America could be up when he answered the door at his Reseda home to find two men standing there in black bulletproof vests emblazoned with three large white letters.

“It read ICE,” he said. “My heart just sank.”

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were there to arrest him for being in the country illegally.

Journalists slam US forces for ill treatment

This is just another example of how the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) directly violates the sovereignty and independence of the Philippines. It shows who really is in control of the Philippines and that even in their own country, Filipinos are subordinate to foreigners (particularly, U.S. imperialists).

What were the U.S. soldiers trying to hide? Why are they scared of journalists doing their job? It’s not like they were in a hidden bunker deep underground, this was outside and visible to the public.

We need more journalists to hold people accountable and to defend their right to report the truth. The VFA just shot itself in the foot.

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Journalists slam US forces for ill treatment

By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 09:28:00 12/21/2010

Filed Under: Media, Military, Justice & Rights, Agreement (general)

MANILA, Philippines—The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) on Tuesday slammed the alleged ill treatment of American soldiers to Zamboanga City-based journalists who were covering the visit of retired general Edilberto Adan of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) Commission.  In a statement, the NUJP said a television reporter in Zamboanga was ordered by one of six US soldiers guarding the headquarters of the United States military’s Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines inside the Western Mindanao Command to stop taking footages of the event.